Is the bar exam multiple choice questions?
Asked by: Mr. Roderick Thompson DVM | Last update: December 23, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (69 votes)
The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, 200-question multiple-choice examination developed by NCBE and administered by user jurisdictions as part of the bar examination on the last Wednesday in February and the last Wednesday in July of each year.
Is the bar exam just multiple-choice?
California Bar Examination
The exam is given over two days and consists of the following parts: Five one-hour Essay Questions. One 90-minute Performance Test. 200 Multiple-Choice Questions.
What type of questions are in the bar exam?
The bar exam consists of multiple-choice questions, essay questions, and performance tasks.
What percent of the bar is multiple-choice?
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®) administers The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE®) in every US jurisdiction except Louisiana and Puerto Rico. This 200 multiple-choice question exam is worth 50% of the bar exam score in nearly every jurisdiction.
How many questions can you miss on the bar exam?
That means you'll need to get 115 questions correct out of 190 — or that you can miss up to 75 questions and still pass the MBE!
Bar Exam Questions Answered
Is 295 a good bar score?
In order to pass the Uniform Bar Exam, examinees must earn a score of at least 260 on the MBE and MEE. However, a score of 280 is generally considered to be a good score, and a score of 300 to 330 (highest score on bar exam) is considered to be excellent.
Is 300 a good bar exam score?
A 300 is approximately the 90th percentile. A 280 is approximately the 73rd percentile. A 270 is approximately the 58th percentile. A 260 is approximately the 44th percentile.
What are the odds I passed the bar exam?
The bar exam pass rate is typically between 60-80% depending on your bar exam state. That means that 20-40% of people who sit for that bar exam do not pass.
What percentage of lawyers never pass the bar?
Wondering how test-takers are doing as a whole? According to the most recent data released by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE®), in 2021, of the 64,833 total persons taking the bar exam, 39,873 passed, which is an overall pass rate of 60% (down 1%from the previous year).
What state has the easiest bar exam?
Overall, Utah is the easiest bar exam to pass. This is true whether you are a first-time taker or repeat taker! In July 2023, Utah had a 94% pass rate for first time takers and a 73% pass rate for repeat takers. It also has the lowest UBE cut score of 260.
What is the hardest part of the bar exam?
Most people regard the MBE as the hardest portion of the bar exam. The questions are rarely easy or straightforward. They can be tricky and sometimes worded in a way that guides you to the wrong answer.
What if you fail the bar exam?
Yes, you can try again!
A very common myth those who fail the bar exam start believing is that they failed because they just aren't smart enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. After making it through three years of law school, the odds that you failed because you “just didn't know the law” are low.
How many times can you take the bar?
There is no limit to the number of times you can take the bar exam in the state of California. While it may come as a relief to many students who are planning to take the bar exam in California that there are no limits, California's bar exam is known for being one of the hardest exams in the U.S.
Which state is the hardest to pass the bar exam?
California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.
What does bar stand for?
Some people claim the term bar is an acronym for “British Accredited Registry.” Aside from making little sense, this assertion is patently false. In reality, the word “bar” refers to the railing that separates the working area of the court from the spectator area.
How many times did JFK Jr. take the bar exam?
Kennedy earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law in 1989. He then failed the New York bar exam twice before passing on his third try in July 1990. After failing the exam for a second time Kennedy vowed that he would continue to take it until he was ninety-five years old or passed.
What is a bad bar exam score?
Those with total scale scores after one reading below 1350 fail the exam. If the applicant's total scale score is at least 1350 but less than 1390 after one reading, their answers are read a second time by a different set of graders.
What college has the highest bar pass rate?
- Duke University 97 percent.
- New York University: 97 percent.
- University of Michigan: 96 percent.
- Liberty University School of Law: 95.65 percent.
- Stanford University: 95 percent.
- University of Alabama: 95 percent.
- Baylor University: 92 percent.
Has anyone ever gotten 100% on the bar exam?
Has anyone ever gotten a perfect score on the bar exam? Have you ever seen an essay exam answer written during an actual state-administered exam that the CA Bar Examiners scored a perfect 100? We never have either, which is why we're bringing it to your attention.
Is a 295 on the bar exam good?
Depending on how many people have taken the UBE, a score of 280 is approximately the 73rd percentile. A 300 is in about the 90th percentile, and 330 is in the top 1% of all scores.
Who has the highest bar score?
Matthew Graham, a University of Baltimore Law School alumnus, smashed the previous bar exam record by scoring 309 out of 400 on his first attempt.
Why is it called the bar exam?
The exam's name actually derives from this very idea of division by referencing the physical “bar” railing that would divide courtrooms. The outer side of the bar would be for public observation, while the inner side would contain the judge's bench where the actual court proceedings would occur.
Which state has the lowest bar exam pass rate?
Unsurprisingly, California has the lowest passage rate (44.42%) by a wide margin. Take even a great in-state school like UCLA and only 86% percent of students are passing on their first try.
How hard is it to pass the bar without law school?
Pass Rate. The bar exam pass rate of an apprentice is about ⅓ of that of a student who attends an ABA approved law school, according to a study by Priceconomics. With a passing rate of approximately 27% for apprentices, it is clear there are topics that can be missed, that a traditional law school is sure to cover.